ALFA ROMEO 179

   As early as September 1979, at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Alfa Romeo debuted the new 179 in a World Championship race. The car differed from the previous 177 primarily in its new 1260 V12 engine, developed by the Milanese team’s racing division. Unlike the 115-12 F12 flat-12 engine, derived from Alfa Romeo's World Sportscar Championship cars and first introduced in F1 in 1976 with Brabham, the new engine featured a 60° V configuration. This allowed for better space management to accommodate large venturi channels necessary for generating downforce.

 ALFA ROMEO 179, Bruno Giacomelli
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1980

   This aerodynamic advantage significantly outweighed the stability offered by a flat engine, as demonstrated by Brabham's decision to abandon the Alfa Romeo boxer engine late in the 1979 season in favor of the Ford-Cosworth DFV V8, which led to noticeable performance improvements. Designed by Carlo Chiti in the summer of 1979, the new Alfa Romeo 179 became the first true ground-effect car produced by the Italian manufacturer.

ALFA ROMEO 179, Patrick Depailler
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1980

   With the assistance of French aerodynamic engineer Robert Choulet, who arrived from Ligier, the 179 underwent slight modifications for the 1980 season. The chassis was adapted to the new engine and made more rigid by adding carbon fiber sheets in high-stress areas. It was also narrowed to allow for larger venturi channels. The car's bodywork remained relatively bulky, though sleeker than the version first seen at Monza in 1979. The suspension and cooling system remained unchanged.

 ALFA ROMEO 179, Bruno Giacomelli
Österreichring, Austrian GP 1980

   Alfa Romeo’s racing division, Autodelta, continued to oversee operations, with Chiti and his team developing the cars for the 1980 championship. That year, the team adopted the same Marlboro sponsorship and livery as McLaren. The new 179s took to the track from the very first race of the season in Argentina, driven by new recruit Patrick Depailler and Italian Bruno Giacomelli. While both showed promising performances in qualifying, their efforts were hampered by the car’s poor reliability. Giacomelli finished only three races, securing two fifth places, while Depailler retired from all eight races he contested.

 ALFA ROMEO 179, Andrea de Cesaris
Watkins Glen, USA East GP 1980

   Depailler’s 1980 season was tragically cut short, as the talented French driver lost his life in a crash while testing his 179 on the high-speed Hockenheim circuit in August. However, his skills as a test driver had helped refine the 179, which evolved into a solid car that remained in use, in various configurations, until 1982. To replace Depailler, Autodelta called veteran Vittorio Brambilla back to the cockpit, before handing the 179 over to debutant Andrea De Cesaris for the final two races of the season. A notable moment came at the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, where Giacomelli secured pole position, marking the first time an Alfa Romeo had achieved this feat in Formula 1 since Juan Manuel Fangio's last pole at Monza in 1951.